Meet the Team Behind
Our Courses
Our courses are written and evaluated by teachers, for teachers. Teaching Channel’s Curriculum & Instruction team is comprised of former educators with a deep expertise in their fields. Our team meticulously develops courses, drawing from seminal texts and resources to ensure the highest quality and most applicable learning for teachers.
Dr. Wendy Amato
Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Wendy Amato earned her Master’s and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. She holds an MBA from James Madison University in Strategies for Competitive Advantages in Complex Industries. She began teaching in 1991 at Universite Blaise Pascale in Clermont Ferrand, France, has served as a classroom teacher and Middle School Administrator, and still teaches at UVA’s School of Education. She supports professional learning for educators and school leaders. Since 2020, Wendy has been the Chief Academic Officer of K12 Coalition, parent company of Teaching Channel.
Marcee Harris
Vice President of Academics
Marcee Harris holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Sociology, as well as an M.A. Ed. in Education. As VP, Marcee oversees the Curriculum and Instruction team, guiding the development of high-quality professional learning experiences for educators. She works to ensure that content and products align with both the evolving needs of teachers and broader organizational goals. With over 25 years in education, Marcee brings a deep understanding of classroom practice and a strong commitment to empowering educators through meaningful, relevant professional development.
Fun Fact: Marcee once hiked the Napali Coast on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii.
Sarah Murphy
Evaluation Manager
Professional Learning Specialist
Sarah Murphy holds a B.A. in History and a Master’s in Education. Sarah began teaching in 2004 at the elementary level. She now leads Teaching Channel’s Evaluation Team, managing our wonderful team of Course Evaluators, who provide personalized feedback and grading for educators taking our Continuing Education courses. Sarah is also a coursewriter and content creator, specializing in edtech, educator wellness, and content area teaching.
Fun Fact: Sarah enjoys training and competing with the Mill City Running Race Team in distances from 1 mile to the marathon.
Betsy Butler
Professional Learning Specialist
Betsy Butler holds a B.A. in English, a Master’s in Education, and has been a professional development specialist with Teaching Channel for 16 years. Betsy uses her three decades of teaching experience in her role, to write graduate-level continuing education courses that help educators retain their licensure, and to move up salary steps and lanes. Her specialty areas include ELA, special education topics, behavior management, and mental health.
Fun Fact: Betsy’s daily conquest is solving the New York Times crossword puzzle!
Susanne Leslie
Professional Learning Specialist
Susanne Leslie is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Master’s in Education. As a former parent educator, Susanne’s specialty is Culture, Wellness, and Early Childhood instruction. In her current role, she writes courses and content, and is an enthusiastic advocate for play and time outdoors as the best teaching tools.
Fun Fact: Susanne has jumped out of two (perfectly good) airplanes!
Amy Szczepanski
Professional Learning Specialist
Amy Szczepanski is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel since 2024. She holds a B.S. in both Biology and Environmental Science, a Master’s in Teaching, and has been teaching since 2014. Amy uses her experience to create highly engaging and effective content for both teachers and students. She loves all things STEM and is passionate about teacher advocacy.
Fun Fact: Amy’s favorite hobby is taking long walks through New York City searching for delicious treats.
Rebecca Kay-Lewis
Instructional Support Specialist
Rebecca Kay-Lewis holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a Masters in Education. She is a Canvas Certified Educator. In her role, she specializes in customer support and efficient course administration, ensuring a seamless experience for our users.
Fun Fact: Rebecca has run 23 marathons!
Jessica Price
LMS Support Specialist
Jessica Price holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, and a minor in Health and Fitness. In her role, Jess focuses on supporting Teaching Channel’s university partners, crafting course syllabi, and building intuitive Canvas courses as our certified Canvas expert. Jessica’s expertise lies in streamlining the “behind-the-scenes” technology to empower our customers and create a clear, easy path from enrollment to instruction.
Fun Fact: Jess loves to go on winter hikes with her trusty canine companion, Blue!
Jennifer DeLucia
Evaluation Manager
Jennifer DeLucia holds a B.A.S. in History and Secondary Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She spent nearly a decade in the classroom, both in public and private school settings. Jennifer currently works closely with Course Evaluators and the Curriculum & Instruction Team to ensure our customers get the most out of their Teaching Channel experience.
Fun Fact: Jennifer once played Frenchy in high school in a production of Grease!
Caitlyn “Caity” McGuigan
Content Development Specialist
Caity McGuigan holds a B.A. in Integrated Educational Studies and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. Caity has a dual credential in Multiple Subject and Special Education. She specializes in course development, drawing on her experience as a special education teacher to design accessible learning that meets diverse individual needs. She dedicates her time empowering teachers to feel confident and continue to find joy in their work.
Fun Fact: Caity is originally from San Francisco, California and has a love for video games.
Meet Our Course Evaluators
Our Course Evaluator team includes over 100 educators hailing from 19 states across the country. Each course evaluator has 5+ years of Pre-K-12 school experience that aligns with course content. Evaluators bring relevant experiences from their roles as classroom teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, administrators, and more. Course evaluators provide specific feedback on each course module participants complete, solidifying our commitment as your Education Ally.
Evaluator Leads
Rachel Steil
Evaluator Lead
Rachel is a 28+ veteran English teacher at Stillwater Area High School. She has been with Teaching Channel since 2018. She holds a Masters in Education and K-12 Public Administration and has a Master Journalism Educator certification. She has taught a variety of English courses, including Enriched 10, English 11, and the award-winning Newspaper Journalism class. Rachel has been named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2015 and 2020 and Minnesota Journalism Advisor of the Year in 2018.
Dr. Laura Thorvilson
Evaluator Lead
Laura holds a BA in Elementary Education, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and has been with Teaching Channel since 2016. In her leadership role, she collaborates with a dedicated team of Evaluators, providing guidance and support as needed. She values her work as a Course Evaluator, where she reviews educators’ coursework submissions and gain insight into the impactful ways teachers support children, families, and communities across the nation.
Kayla Hasvold
Evaluator Lead
Kayla holds a Master’s degree in English as a Second Language and has been with Teaching Channel since 2016. She oversees a team of evaluators to ensure a high-quality experience for our customers. Additionally, I evaluate coursework focused on multilingual learners, which has provided valuable opportunities to learn from the innovative instructional practices of exceptional multilingual learner educators.
Jamie Fredericksen
Evaluator Lead
Jamie enjoys podcasts and playing board games.
Ally Beggs
Evaluator Lead
Ally earned her undergraduate degree in social studies education from MSU Mankato and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Catherine University. Ally is passionate about supporting educators in their professional growth. She also completed her student teaching in Australia!
A few of our talented Course Evaluators...
Deidre Swoope
Evaluator
Deidre loves to travel to presidential historical sites/homes.
Stacy Sanders
Evaluator | Hybrid/Blended Evaluator
Stacy has completed two Ironman Triathlons.
Jake Matheson
Evaluator | Fast Track Evaluator
Jake plays and teaches every band instrument.
Lela Goettl
Evaluator
Lela has been to all 50 states.
Abbie Pannell
Evaluator
Abbie is a descendent of Pocahontas.
Josefine Henderson
Evaluator | Hybrid/Blended Learning Facilitator
Josefine has coached volleyball, basketball, track, and cheer!
David Higley
Evaluator
David joined our Course Evaluation Team in 2014!
Elizabeth Contreras
Evaluator
During Elizabeth’s first teaching interview, the school lost power!
Kim Moore
Evaluator
Kim has been skiing since age 3 and can slalom ski.
Anwar Mustafa
Evaluator
Anwar became a teacher because she is a lifelong learner.
Paige Danielson
Evaluator
Paige was once a flight attendant.
Travis Edwards
Evaluator
Travis has six kids ages 16 to 6.
Beth Halbach
Evaluator
Beth has visited over half of MN’s 65 state parks.
Bryan Draxten
Evaluator
Bryan has never had a cavity!
Angela Salinas-Oviedo
Evaluator
Sarah is a “plant lady’ and has a butterfly garden.
Diane Coffman
Evaluator
Diane wanted to be an astronaut.
Amie Hohenstein
Evaluator
Annie loves to clean/organize while listening to 90's hip hop!
